Adventure, baby!

New York

New York – The First Two Months

The past 7 weeks or so have been a rollercoaster ride – some days really great, and some just so frustratingly bad, where I’ve missed home more than I can handle. As things move forwards though, I find the good days and times out weighing the bad, and enjoy myself more and more.

It didn’t help moving over while the weather was still technically like winter. I was so freezing cold, like I’ve never been before. I don’t know how I will cope next year in the proper winter if I was struggling to deal with March.

We now have an apartment in Brooklyn – a  cute little two-bedroom place on Smith St. It’s really convenient to Manhattan, as well as a lot of cafes, restaurants and shops. I’ve been frantically furnishing the apartment the last 2 weeks, and we are finally at the point where it is feeling like home, yay!

Spring really and truly arrived in the past week. There are cherry blossoms in bloom all over the city. It went from being so very grim and grey to bursting with new life and colour – it really lifts my spirits walking around the streets on a sunny day now.

One of my favourite things about New York is how much is going on all the time, especially movies and TV shows being filmed everywhere! A movie called New Years’ Eve was filming on our street week before last – literally right outside our apartment – on Alec’s birthday! It was so surreal. We walked up and down past the filming a few times and saw actor Josh Duhamel filming his scenes. I’ve also wandered into the set of a movie called Arbitrage (on 61st st).

I miss things about Australia that I hadn’t realised I could possibly miss – tiny things like good museli and yoghurt, grass on the sidewalk, having a car, grocery stores stocking a huge variety of everything, having a cheap, fantastic cleaner and my amazing doctors. I’m loving things that I didn’t expect as well – like the ease of catching the subway everywhere and not having to worry about parking a car, the variety of restaurants and cafes, shops open late, spring flowers like tulips and daffodils blooming all over the city,  dogs EVERYWHERE.

Bye Alec!

It’s official, he’s gone! I saw Alec off at the airport yesterday morning after our great weekend in Melbourne. Now the count down is on until I can join him. It’s currently really cold in NY – about -15, the coldest day they’ve had in 6 years. By contrast it’s 32 degrees in Sydney, with 40 forecast for tomorrow. Rug up, husband!

California and NYC Trip

I haven’t felt much like blogging lately, so this is a brief account of my recent USA trip. It was mostly for work, but I managed to squeeze in a trip to NYC and Monterey. Most of the trip, when I wasn’t working, I was catching up with friends and family.

First stop, San Francisco.

Catching up with Isis, Mansi and baby Maya.

Dinner at Greens Restaurant in SF with Jamie, Lisa and Isis.

One of Mansi and Jason’s Abyssinian cats. 

Another of Mansi and Jason’s pets!

Filming an AdSense video with Victoria in Mountain View.

Drinking the Koolaid on campus.

Next destination, NYC! I stayed with Masa for a few days in Brooklyn.

View from the Brooklyn shore.

Making a new friend in the park.

One of seven bridal couples I saw having photos taken in the area.

View from the Metropolitan Art Gallery rooftoop garden.

Doing what I do best 😉

Goofing off with Masa.

Dinner with Janice and Calman.

Hello Jersey Shores!

At the Google NY office with Olah.

And Nadia …

… and Isa!

Then it was back to Mountain View…

On campus, taking in the sites.

Nom nom nom.

My friendly tour guide, Gus, and giant green Android.

Making a new friend! Meeting Zoe Pollock.

Alec met me in Mountain View. We were able to spend a long weekend in Monterey.

My favourite animals at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the jellies!

Drive down the coast to Big Sur. Amazing scenery.

Gorgeous water.

Gorgeous, jet-lagged, husband.

Beautiful!

Admiring the view.

The red woods in Big Sur.

Small husband…

Tiny wife.

Meeting the locals.

My brother and Michele drove down to nearby Carmel for the end of the weekend.

Back in Mountain View with the Ring family – Jeannette and little PJ.

Making more friends on campus! Meet Lola.

NYC: The Highlights

Next stop was a whirlwind tour of NYC.

Alec was keen to see the American Museum of Natural History and all of the dinosaur bones.

Central Park – gorgeous in summer.

Lunch at the gorgeous Tavern on the Green in Central Park.

Catching up with gorgeous friends like Masa and Calman.

Doing a few touristy things like the Statue of Liberty.

And, of course, shopping! Juicy Couture, Tiffany & Co, and the Tokidoki mothership.


Such a short stop, it was crazy, but gave Alec a taste of the city. Will be back – for more shopping!